So.. apparently, on Phenius and Pherb, there’s this device called a Chikeninator. In its most primitive form; It is a ray gun that when shot at something, the object on which the emitted ray incidents first is exchanged with the nearest chicken

So it so happens the protagonists are stuck on a remote planet fighting dragons. The gun is used to send a dragon to earth, bringing a chicken to the remote planet. Later, the crew find that they’re stuck on the planet without a spaceship. They need another way to return to earth.

This tickles the mind a lot. assuming wolg that there are no chickens other than on earth and the the one on the alien planet.

Obviously, using the Chikeninator again switches the chicken on the planet with the allies so it doesn’t do much. The solution seems to be to shoot at something T, in space, away from Earth, so that the distance from T to aliens planet is longer than distance form aliens planet to earth, but keeping the distance from T to alien planet closer than T to earth.

TE>TP>PE

Shoot (hopefully very small) T, then shoot self with Chikeninator.

Tata!!

p.s. TE>TP ensures the chicken on P is switched with T ; TP>PE ensures second shot picks a chicken on earth and not on T.

P.p.s. And obvious the child points out that this is needed only when proximity is between shootee and chicken. If the proximity is between shooter and chicken then one can just shoot at something on earth(maybe remove the dragon) to return the chicken on P to E and the. Shoot one’s selves to return to earth.